Phillip Forman

Phillip Forman


Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
In office March 31, 1961 – August 17, 1978
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
In office September 10, 1959 – March 31, 1961
Appointed by	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Preceded by	Albert Branson Maris
Succeeded by	William Francis Smith
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
In office 1951–1959
Preceded by	Guy Leverne Fake
Succeeded by	William Francis Smith
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
In office June 25, 1932 – September 20, 1959
Appointed by	Herbert Hoover
Preceded by	William Nelson Runyon
Succeeded by	Arthur Stephen Lane
United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey
In office 1928–1932
Appointed by	Calvin Coolidge
Preceded by	Walter G. Winne
Succeeded by	Harlan Besson

Personal details
Born	Phillip Forman (1895-11-30)November 30, 1895 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	August 17, 1978(1978-08-17) (aged 82) Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
Spouse	Pearl Karlberg

Born in New York City on November 30, 1895, Forman grew up in Trenton, New Jersey.^[1] He received a Bachelor of Laws in 1919 from the Temple University Beasley School of Law. He served in the United States Navy from 1917 to 1919 during World War I era. He entered private practice in Trenton, New Jersey from 1919 to 1932. He was an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 1923 to 1928 and was the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 1928 to 1932.^[2]

Forman was nominated by President Herbert Hoover on June 11, 1932, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey vacated by Judge William Nelson Runyon. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 23, 1932, and received his commission on June 25, 1932. He served as Chief Judge from 1951 to 1959 and as a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 1957 to 1959. His service terminated on September 20, 1959, due to his elevation to the Third Circuit.^[2]

Forman was nominated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on February 9, 1959, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit vacated by Judge Albert Branson Maris. He was confirmed by the Senate on September 9, 1959, and received his commission the next day. He assumed senior status on March 31, 1961.^[2]

Judge Forman (r) awards Albert Einstein his certificate of the American citizenship on October 1, 1940.

In 1940, Forman gave the German physicist Albert Einstein his United States Citizenship.^[3] He served the same role for the mathematician Kurt Gödel.^[4]

Forman was married to the former Pearl Karlberg. He died at a hospital in Trenton, New Jersey, on August 17, 1978, at the age of 82.^[1]

^ ^a ^b ^c Phillip Forman at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

^ "America gains a famous citizen". Library of Congress. Retrieved October 24, 2021.

^ Stephen Budansky (2021). Journey to the Edge of Reason: The Life of Kurt Gödel. p. 319ff. ISBN 978-0-393-35820-9.

Contents

Legal offices
Preceded by Walter G. Winne	United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey 1928–1932	Succeeded by Harlan Besson
Preceded by William Nelson Runyon	Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 1932–1959	Succeeded by Arthur Stephen Lane
Preceded by Guy Leverne Fake	Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 1951–1959	Succeeded by William Francis Smith
Preceded by Albert Branson Maris	Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 1959–1961	Succeeded by William Francis Smith